When it comes to internet resources there are just an infinite amount of possibilities. There are sites for children that are fun and educational. Some sites are resource centers for educators and some sites are resources for parents. I think the internet can be a valuable resource if used properly. Students can communicate in real time with people far away, they can get instant access to news & events, and they can contribute to many pieces of information.
One resource for students is educational websites. The interactive sites that are for children can range from early childhood all the way to young adults. Many of the early childhood sites are interactive learning sites that are based off TV programming. www.noggin.com is one site that is for children as young as three. This site has everything from coloring to music videos. It is very user friendly and interactive. For kindergarten and first grade students one of the most popular language arts websites is www.starfall.com. This website teaches letter recognition and phonics with characters, stories, games and everything is interactive. These are the types of sites that can be the most resourceful, due to the fact that the developers use multiple modes of teaching and students view them as games so they are fun and they want to use them. There are many of these sites for older students as well. www.arcademicskillbuilders.com, this site is mostly math games, that are in a word DRILLS. But the students are so engrossed with the interface and the competetion of playing against classmates (on different computers) they don't even realize that they are doing math drills. It is very important that teachers use these resources for students because it allows students a chance for learning in a different platform and at their own pace.
Another piece in education is teacher resources. There are so many sites that have teachers in mind. The library of congress has a teacher resource section on its website, google, google docs, wiki spaces and so many more. Even most of the students sites have links for parents and teachers. www.pbskids.org has a teacher and parent link. These are sites attempt to provide teachers with additional resources to help students but there are also places where teachers can go to become more aware of the internet or just use the internet more. One of the easiest is blogging. Using a blog can be a way for teachers to meet others with similar interest or get more information on a certain topic. Social networking sites can be an additional resource for teachers especially sites that allow you to share bookmarks. It is such an extremely resourceful piece of information www.diigo.com.
Teachers and students can gain valuable information by using the internet, however it can also be a danger if not used properly. Therefore I think the first thing has to be a lesson on internet safety and proper usage for home and school.
nancy
12 years ago
First let me thank you for the first three sitrs you noted. I checked them out and will make sure the pre-K teacher in my school is aware of them. These blogs are a great way for us to share sites and information. I will be adding them to my diigo site, also.
ReplyDeleteWe cannot stress enought internet safety at home . We do a pretty good job at school and with the CPS filters, questionable sites are usually, though not always, blocked. Parents need to learn how to monitor their children when the kids are on the internet: move the computer out of the bedroom, use their provider's parent control options, pay attention to what their children are doing, limit time on the inernet. these are just a few things that they could do. On the blogs, we might be able to share other things that we can encourage the parents to do to provide the safety the students need.
Ed Caster